Danny Abrams, together with chef Jimmy Bradley, has built a tidy restaurant empire that includes Pace, the Harrison, the Mermaid Inn, and Red Cat. Although Mr. Abrams spends time at each of them, it is the front station at Red Cat – the oldest restaurant of the four – that makes him feel right at home. “I see all the people I made friends with when I was maitre d’ here, the first couple of years after we opened,” he said.

Most importantly, it allows him to stay connected with the simple act of hospitality. “Sometimes you get away from doing what drew you to the business in the first place,” he said, noting the increasing time he spends on profit and loss statements rather than shaking hands.

For Mr. Abrams and his staff, greeting patrons on their way in – and then wishing them a “good night” on their way out of the restaurant – is a must. It may seem like the typical restaurant-owner dictum, until one realizes that the entire floor staff actually seems to enjoy following the mantra. And because of it, this restaurant – one that has been open for more than six years – is packed on a Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Red Cat opened in this far stretch of Chelsea just above 23rd Street when the neighborhood was still gathering steam. “I was riding by on my motorcycle and saw a sign in the window that said ‘Seized by the marshall,'” Mr. Abrams recalled. He hammered out a deal with the building owner over breakfast shortly thereafter. Though the previous restaurant there had gone under, and Mr. Abrams admits the area was still “dark and cold,” he banked on two things: his own expertise, and his chef’s adventurous spirit.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Mr. Abrams ran bars and restaurants like Lucy’s, Citrus, and Wildlife. (He talked his way into his first gig in Manhattan as a roller skating waiter at the Saloon.) He had known Mr. Bradley from industry circles, and they talked about joining forces. They finally did, and he learned a lesson in trust. When the chef wanted to put liver on Red Cat’s opening-night menu, Mr. Abrams objected, based on unsavory memories of eating it as a child. But the chef knew best. It became one of the restaurant’s best sellers.

Together, the two have created a recipe that still works for regulars – like Dominic Taglialatella, owner of DJT Fine Art who values Red Cat’s lack of a “pseudo-sophisticated atmosphere” – and almost-regulars, too. Scott Baskin comes to New York from Chicago for business frequently and says he always makes a reservation “even though they don’t know my name, yet.”

Red Cat, 227 Tenth Ave., between 23rd and 24th streets, 212-242-1122.